Recently, a television broadcast is increasingly digitized, and a digital television broadcast receiver provided with data broadcast receiving function and mutually-directional function (hereinafter referred to as television receiver) is widely employed. As the data broadcast, various information broadcasts and services are available, and software download or the like is one of such data broadcasts. Also, as a combined terminal for broadcast and communication, a television receiver or a personal computer is on the market, which comprises a communication browser for displaying a home page on Internet in addition to a broadcast browser for displaying a data broadcast and can be connected to an information server via a communication network in such manner as to enable communication. A variety of such communication networks are available, and a cable network is one of them.
A broadcasting station broadcasts contents for counting points corresponding to the program viewing time of users (hereinafter referred to as broadcast points) and also provides the user of a television receiver with a broadcast points accumulating service. There are a variety of such contents, and a certified software program is one of them. The broadcasting station collects the broadcast points accumulated in the television receiver by using the mutually-directional function of the television receiver and also prepares a service such as exchange for premiums. Also, the broadcasting station collects and utilizes information such as program viewing records together with the broadcast points. About services offered by a broadcasting station to the user of a television receiver, there is a disclosure in Japanese Laid-Open Patent 2001-320341. Also, the accumulation of broadcast points such as accumulating the points obtained for example in a game or quiz in other service has been already done in a digital television broadcast. In Japan, such services are offered in conformity to the rules specified in ARIB TR-B15 Vol. 1, Chapter 3, 8.2 “Application of NVRAM used commonly used in MM services.”